LOCAL NEWS | NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Three vehicles were involved in a fatal crash yesterday afternoon in Wayne Township, Mifflin County. According to State Police, an International Harvester Durastar driven by Hunter Houck of Petersburg was unable to stop in a work zone on Route 522 South at the intersection with old Route 22. Houck’s rig veered into the oncoming lane striking a Toyota 4-Runner head-on. The driver of the Toyota, 39-year-old Heather Stidfole of McVeytown, sustained fatal injuries in the collision, and was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in her vehicle was transported to UPMC Altoona. Houck’s vehicle then struck another rig before catching fire. The tractor-trailer drivers were not injured.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has announced plans for a full transition to “cashless” All-Electronic Tolling (AET) in late 2021. Once the change is implemented, in-lane or onsite payment will no longer be accepted anywhere along the 552-mile tollway. When this cashless conversion is complete, drivers who had been accustomed to paying their tolls with cash or credit will instead receive a bill by mail. A photo of the license plate will be taken, and a bill be mailed to the vehicle’s owner. Drivers with E-ZPass will pay as usual.

Legislation that would provide expanded Sunday hunting opportunities in Pennsylvania appears likely to become law soon, but the Pennsylvania Game Commission wants hunters to know the bill has not been passed yet in final form. Even if Senate Bill 147 passes the state Senate a second time and is signed into law, it will not take effect until 90 days after passage. That means the bill, which would permit hunting on three Sundays – one within archery deer season, one within firearms deer season, and one on another Sunday selected by the Game Commission – will not provide an additional Sunday hunting opportunity in 2019. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill November 18th, after the November 16th close of the first segment of the statewide archery deer season.